Gadi Eisenkot faces difficult coalition negotiations after Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally gave him the first opportunity to form a government on Sunday evening in Jerusalem.

The opposition leader has 28 days to assemble a majority, with a possible two-week extension, according to Associated Press reporting by Melanie Lidman and Giovanna Dell’Orto published by Global News. The mandate does not guarantee he will become prime minister.

The Oct. 27 election left neither Eisenkot nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with enough seats to govern. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, Eisenkot’s opposition bloc secured 48, and Arab-led parties took the remaining 19. A governing majority requires at least 61 seats.

Eisenkot’s possible routes include a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, support from Arab-led parties or a deal with ultra-Orthodox parties. Each presents obstacles.

Ra’am has said it will support Eisenkot, while the Joint List has offered support from outside the coalition. But Yisrael Beytenu, a member of Eisenkot’s bloc, has said it will not join a coalition with Arab-led parties.

Eisenkot also said parties joining his government must support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, its declaration of independence, military or national service, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Military service is a central sticking point in any negotiations with ultra-Orthodox parties. Eisenkot and his partners campaigned to end their community’s long-standing draft exemptions, while those parties want to preserve them. United Torah Judaism has nevertheless left open the possibility of cooperating with him.

Netanyahu called for a national unity government on Saturday, but whether the rivals can agree on power-sharing remains unclear.

If Eisenkot fails, Netanyahu could be given an opportunity to assemble a coalition. Netanyahu and his cabinet will remain in office in a caretaker capacity, with limited powers, until a government is formed.

Sources